A missing witness has delayed the start of the Biazza Goliath trial. He is accused of the murder of Isabel van Coller during a hijacking in Bramley, Johannesbufrg, in 2019. Stock photo.
Image: 123RF/EVGENYI LASTOCHKIN
The trial of Biazza Goliath, accused of the murder of Isabel van Coller in November 2019, was postponed by the high court in Johannesburg on Monday until October 3 to locate a key witness.
Van Coller, 45, was shot dead on the morning of November 15 2019 during a hijacking in Bramley, Johannesburg.
In footage of the hijacking, the attacker appears to have fired a shot and speed off in Van Coller’s vehicle.
Goliath faces charges of murder and aggravated robbery. The case was set for trial for two weeks and was due to start on Monday.
AfriForum’s private prosecution unit has a watching brief from Harriet Ackerman, the twin sister of Van Coller,
Goliath is already a convicted person and is serving a sentence in Johannesburg prison for other crimes.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) initially withdrew the case, but after AfriForum's unit made representations in May last year to South Gauteng director of public prosecutions Andrew Chauke, the case was placed back on the roll and transferred to the high court.
The NPA indicated it was able to locate two of the suspects allegedly involved in the hijacking and one person is now a state witness.
“It is this witness who must be located again by the investigating officer. However, the other suspect is still missing,” AfriForum said.
The state’s inability to get the witness before the court meant justice has again been delayed.
“The community has a right to know why this witness was not monitored by the police and therefore could not testify in court today [Monday].
“The inability to handle this case correctly was clear from the beginning — for example, the docket went missing and had to be reconstructed,” AfriForum private prosecution unit adviser Natasha Venter said.
The victim's family, who travelled from East London, had again been let down by the system.
“The state’s lack of communication with the family cannot be excused either. The mere fact that the state did not ask for a warrant to be issued for the witness is indicative that he was never summoned.
“We still do not know what steps, if any, the police have taken to ensure that the witness will be at court,” Venter said.
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